Buy Dinar for $975!!

Iraqi Dinar – ONLY $975 per million. PLUS free FedEx shipping included (CONUS only). If you would like to buy (or sell) Dinar, please call 615-509-6256 (or text) or e-mail us at DinarUpdates@icloud.com

The cabinet reshuffle opens a new crisis… The new government is caught between the dilemma of political balance and the points system.

Political activity is accelerating in Baghdad, amid a race against time to form the new cabinet. Negotiations have entered a complex phase among political forces seeking to secure their shares of sovereign and service-oriented ministries. As the deadline approaches, technical and political complications have surfaced, hindering the official announcement. Conflicting views persist regarding the mechanism for distributing ministerial spoils, around which power centers are concentrated. Meanwhile, the prime minister-designate and his supporting committees are attempting to decipher the complex “points system” and overcome the obstacle of rotation, which some parties reject while others insist upon it.

This has left the government formation process open to all possibilities in the coming hours. In this context, Mohammed Daham, a leader in the Azm Alliance, revealed the lack of a final agreement among political blocs regarding the mechanism for “rotating” major ministries. Daham explained to the Information Agency that “consultations have not yet led to common understandings regarding the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Education, and Higher Education, in addition to the service-oriented portfolios.”
He indicated that his alliance “submitted its list of candidates independently,” expecting that “Azm” would receive one sovereign ministry in addition to the Ministry of Culture, pinning hopes on a resolution in the coming hours if “a consensus formula is reached that guarantees political balance.”

On the other side, the situation within the Coordination Framework does not appear any easier, as numerical calculations have hindered the finalization of ministerial quotas.
Abeer al-Husseini, a member of the political bureau of the Hikma Movement, told Al-Maalouma that “technical disagreements still exist regarding the distribution of sovereign portfolios allocated to the framework’s components,” emphasizing that “the obstacle to a resolution lies in the mechanism for implementing the adopted points system.” She stressed that negotiations are seeking to overcome the overlapping ministerial demands to ensure that each bloc receives its due based on its electoral weight.

With the activity continuing in the corridors of power, the situation remains contingent on overcoming the points “veto” and distributing the sovereign spoils, while the public awaits the formation of a government capable of meeting the demands of the current stage, far removed from the power-sharing conflicts that continue to cast their shadow over the negotiating scene.

Almaalomah.me

Parliamentary warning against the birth of a “deformed government”: Don’t rush

The head of the Wasit parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Al-Mayahi, warned on Monday against rushing the formation of the new government, considering that this could lead to the “birth of a deformed government.”

Al-Mayahi told Shafaq News Agency, “There is still plenty of time for the designated Prime Minister Ali al-Zidi to present the cabinet to the House of Representatives, and the legal and constitutional period is still in its early stages, and haste may result in a distorted government.”

He added that he “rules out the possibility of the designated prime minister presenting the cabinet to the House of Representatives during this week, as there is enough time to finalize it and present it to Parliament.”

He pointed out that “the next ten days will witness the determination of the identity of the next government, and there is a national consensus on forming the government, and a session to grant confidence is expected to be held at the beginning of next week.”

Al-Mayahi stressed that “the person tasked with forming the government has not been sufficiently informed about the names of the candidates for ministerial portfolios,” indicating that “the government is not formed hastily, and that there is an electoral entitlement and a political balance that governs the formation of the next government.”

Previous political leaks to Shafaq News Agency indicated that Prime Minister-designate Ali Falih al-Zaidi intended to present approximately 14 ministerial portfolios to Parliament for a vote of confidence, amidst ongoing disputes among political forces over some sovereign and security ministries, particularly oil and defense, while names of candidates for several ministries and senior positions were being circulated.

Parliamentary sources had spoken of a political agreement to pass the government of Ali Faleh al-Zaidi during this week, after the ministerial program was submitted to the parliament’s presidency.

Al-Zaydi was tasked with forming the government on April 27, 2026, succeeding Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.

Shafaq.com

The Dukan Dam is nearing full capacity; it is less than two meters away from its maximum capacity.

The administration of the Dukan Dam in Sulaymaniyah Governorate announced on Monday that the water level in the dam continues to rise daily, confirming that the dam is now only 1.80 meters away from being fully filled.

The dam’s director, Kocher Jamal, told Shafaq News Agency that “the water levels in the dam are rising daily, and currently only 1.80 meters remain for the dam to reach full capacity.”

He added that “the continuation of water inflows to the dam at the current rates increases the likelihood of the Dokan Dam reaching full capacity during this year.”

He noted that “the current water levels in the dam are similar to the levels recorded during 2003 and 2016.”

This year, the Kurdistan Region witnessed several waves of rain and snowfall, unlike previous years, which contributed to the revitalization of rivers and valleys and the rise in water levels in dams in various parts of the region.

The Dokan Dam was built in 1959 on the Little Zab River in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate. It is the oldest strategic dam in Iraq, distinguished by its concrete arch design with a height of 116 meters, and its lake can hold 6.8 billion cubic meters of water.

The dam plays a pivotal role in generating hydroelectric power, regulating irrigation of vast agricultural areas, as well as being a major tourist destination in the Kurdistan Region.

Shafaq.com

Assassination attempt on Khamenei prompts North Korea to link its leader’s life to the “nuclear button”.

North Korea has introduced a constitutional amendment that gives leader Kim Jong Un direct authority over the nuclear arsenal and obliges the military to carry out an immediate nuclear strike in the event of his assassination or incapacitation.

According to reports based on a South Korean intelligence briefing, Pyongyang approved the amendment during a meeting of the Supreme People’s Assembly at the end of March, before its contents emerged in conjunction with the escalation of international debate on the security of political leaders following the killing of Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli strikes that took place on February 28.

Asian diplomatic sources say the amendment directly links Kim Jong Un’s security to the mechanism for using nuclear weapons, in a message to Washington and Seoul regarding any potential plans to target the center of power in North Korea.

The sources said the new text makes tampering with the leadership approach to the command and control system of the nuclear arsenal, and places any operation against Kim within a “highly sensitive” military level.

For his part, a former US diplomat who worked on deterrence files in East Asia said that Khamenei’s killing had a “direct impact” on Pyongyang’s calculations, noting that Kim Jong Un treated the incident as a “personal and political warning,” which prompted him to amend the constitution to link his safety to the decision on nuclear retaliation.

He added that the amendment targets US deterrence plans, as Pyongyang considers targeting the leadership as targeting the nuclear system itself, making any attempt to isolate Kim or paralyze the decision-making center a direct cause for a pre-planned nuclear move.

Since the 2022 Nuclear Policy Act, North Korea has broadened the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons, linking an automatic strike to a compromise of its command and control system, before enshrining its status as a nuclear state in its constitution in 2023.

The 2026 amendment gives an additional dimension to this path, as it makes Kim Jong Un’s person part of the definition of the threat to the nuclear system itself, while authorizing the nuclear command apparatus to use nuclear forces in the event of the leader’s absence or loss of contact with the military establishment.

Observers believe the amendment sends direct messages to the United States, South Korea, and Japan, amid escalating military exercises, missile tests, and ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Shafaq.com

The specter may not leave… The finance portfolio occupies Al-Zidi’s mind, and controversy surrounds a “suspicious” figure.

On Monday, informed sources revealed the most prominent figures competing for the position of Minister of Finance within the anticipated government formation, with the possibility of Taif Sami continuing in her position, at a time when consultations are continuing within the forces of the Coordination Framework to decide on the ministerial portfolios.

According to sources who spoke to Shafaq News Agency, Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi asked the framework forces to give him the Ministries of Finance and Interior, and that he would personally select competent individuals to manage them, after the Hikma Movement obtained the Ministry of Finance portfolio as part of the ongoing political understandings.

Sources indicate that the names being considered for the Ministry of Finance are topped by (Mohammed Saheb Al-Daraji) as the most likely candidate for the position, along with the Director General of Al-Rafidain Bank (Ali Karim Hussein) as another candidate for the ministry.

The nomination of the director of Rafidain Bank comes amid a previous controversy and accusations against him regarding files related to the bank, as Finance Minister Taif Sami had issued a decision to suspend the bank director and more than 20 officials and employees on suspicion of manipulating the sale of dollars at Baghdad International Airport, in addition to other administrative and financial violations.

However, the minister later reversed her decision and lifted the suspension of the employees covered by the investigation, according to an official document, amid reports that the file was subjected to political pressure that led to its settlement and the closure of the investigation without recommendations to impose penalties on the accused.

One of the sources told Shafaq News Agency that there is information circulating regarding other files related to Al-Rafidain Bank concerning suspicions of money laundering, waste, and mismanagement.

Last August, US Congressman Joe Wilson accused the state-owned Rafidain Bank, managed by Ali Karim Hussein, of conducting financial transactions with the Houthi group in Yemen, threatening to cut off US financial funding to Iraq.

The bank’s branch in Abu Dhabi also committed financial and administrative violations, in addition to monitoring indicators of mismanagement, which prompted the UAE Central Bank to impose “large financial” fines on the branch.

Shafaq.com

Bloomberg reveals Tehran’s demands that Trump rejected

Bloomberg, citing informed sources, revealed on Monday that Iran presented a set of demands during indirect negotiations with the United States, which were rejected by US President Donald Trump.

The agency said Tehran demanded the lifting of the naval blockade imposed on it, the easing of sanctions, and the retention of a degree of control over navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

She added that Iran also insisted that any agreement must lead to an immediate cessation of fighting in Lebanon.

According to the sources, the Iranian demands also included the release of frozen Iranian assets and the lifting of US sanctions on Iranian oil exports.

US President Donald Trump rejected the Iranian response on Sunday evening regarding the US proposal to end the war, saying it was “completely unacceptable”.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that Tehran had sent “generous” demands in response to the US proposal to end the war, noting that its responses guaranteed the interests of the countries in the region.

The ministry spokesman, Ismail Baghaei, said that Tehran had presented reasonable, logical and generous demands, which included the interests of the entire region and not just the interests of Iran.

Shafaq.com

The Zaidi government: Qaani clings to the “weapon of resistance” and clashes with Trump’s conditions.

The Americans and Iranians explored the issue of nominating Ali al-Zaidi to form the Iraqi government before his appointment was announced, while the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Ismail Qaani, urged the Iraqi officials he met to avoid excluding faction leaders from the government or seeking to disarm them.

According to information from the American newspaper ” The Wall Street Journal ,” which addressed the issue of assigning al-Zaidi, he became the choice of US President Donald Trump, but on the condition of excluding the factions, in a position that reflects the conflict between Tehran and Washington.

The American newspaper, in a report translated by Shafaq News Agency, indicated that al-Zaidi enjoys the support of Trump, who invited him to Washington, stressing that the United States “strongly supports him,” adding that this support from the White House came conditional on al-Zaidi excluding Iranian-backed militias from the next Iraqi government and limiting Tehran’s influence in Baghdad.

The newspaper, quoting current and former US officials, noted that al-Zaidi had previously faced similar US pressure, as he owns a bank that the Treasury Department banned from dealing in dollars in 2024, on suspicion of dealing with a militia leader linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

According to the report, al-Zaidi is a compromise choice, after Trump threatened to cut off US aid to Iraq when former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was nominated, following months of political negotiations.

The newspaper also quoted Iraqi officials as saying that the United States and Iran “inquired about the nomination before it was announced,” noting that al-Zaidi received phone calls from Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iraqi officials said that Esmail Qaani, during a visit to Baghdad on Sunday, urged Iraqi officials not to exclude militia leaders from the government or attempt to disarm these groups.

The report indicated that a senior official in the US State Department explained that Washington is seeking to take concrete measures against the militias, for carrying out 600 attacks on US diplomatic and military sites in Iraq since the start of the “American-Israeli” war on Iran.

Analysts were quoted as saying that the White House’s demand for al-Zaidi to confront the militias represents a serious political risk, indicating that any attempt to disarm the militias or limit their influence could provoke a violent reaction.

Victoria Taylor, a researcher at the Atlantic Council who oversaw Iraq policy as an official in the US State Department during the Joe Biden administration, explained that “armed groups have deeply entrenched themselves in the Iraqi state and its economic system, and regardless of who the prime minister is, reducing the influence of these groups will be a difficult and long-term process.”

The report continued, saying that current and former US officials say the Treasury Department’s decision to ban the South Islamic Bank from dealing in dollars is based on intelligence indicating a link between the bank and the Secretary-General of the Imam Ali Brigades, Shibl al-Zaydi, who was sanctioned by the US in 2018 for alleged involvement with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and his connection to Hezbollah.

According to the officials themselves, among the other factors on which the Treasury Department’s decision was based was information indicating the possibility of close ties between the bank and Kataib Hezbollah, which the United States has designated a “terrorist” organization, as stated in the report.

In this context, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank of the South, Mazen Ahmed, said that the bank is “aware of these allegations” issued by the Treasury Department, “but confirms that they are false allegations based on rumors and speculations,” adding that the bank, at the request of the Treasury Department, conducted several independent reviews of its operations which concluded that these allegations were untrue, but he declined to provide copies of these reviews.

The newspaper indicated that Ali Al-Zaidi owns 9.90% of the bank’s shares and, along with other members of his family, controls the majority of its shares.

Ahmed pointed out that Al-Zaidy “does not play any direct role or responsibility in the bank’s operations, and has not played any role in this area since 2019, when he stepped down from his position as Chairman of the Board.”

The report also stated that the prime minister-designate and the Bank of the South are now subject to official US sanctions.

A spokesman for Shibl al-Zaidi was quoted as saying that there is “no political or commercial relationship” between him and the prime minister-designate, nor are there any familial ties between them through marriage.

According to the spokesman, who is named Hussam al-Rubaie, the two men belong to the Zaidi clan, which numbers about 300,000 people.

The report stated that the Treasury Department announced in 2018, when it imposed sanctions on Shibl al-Zaidi, that he “acted as a financial coordinator” between the Quds Force and militias in Iraq, and helped facilitate what it called “Iraqi investments” for Qassem Soleimani at the time. However, al-Rubaie stressed that “there is no evidence to support these claims, and the relationship with Qassem Soleimani was limited to the military field.”

Al-Rubaie added that Shibl al-Zaidi, in addition to his role in the factions, also leads the Services Alliance, which won nine seats in the House of Representatives during the November elections, and belongs to the coordinating framework that nominated Ali al-Zaidi, with the support of the Services Alliance for him.

In response to questions about Shibl al-Zaidi and the South Bank, a Treasury spokeswoman said, “The Treasury Department has worked closely with its counterparts in Iraq to identify illicit financial threats, including money laundering and terrorist financing by pro-Iranian militias, and to take the necessary actions to counter them.”

The newspaper stated that the decision to ban the South Bank was a blow to Baghdad, because the bank was managing international purchases of basic commodities on behalf of Al-Zaydi’s other company, “Al-Awais,” for the benefit of the Iraqi food basket program, a monthly government program to distribute flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil and other basic foodstuffs to those in need.

The report concluded by saying that the US embargo posed a particular threat to Iraq’s large rice imports from US producers, but that Treasury and Iraqi officials devised an alternative solution that allowed Al-Owais Company to continue purchasing US rice using euros instead of dollars.

Shafaq.com

Parliamentarian: The American-Israeli camp is still present in western Iraq

MP Shaker Abu Turab al-Tamimi, from the Badr parliamentary bloc, said on Monday that the “American-Israeli” camp is still present in western Iraq, noting that Iraqi forces are not allowed to approach it.

Al-Tamimi told Shafaq News Agency that “information emerged two months ago regarding the existence of this camp on Iraqi territory,” indicating that “the camp is still there and Iraqi security forces have not been allowed to approach it.”

Al-Tamimi held the Minister of Interior, the Joint Operations Command, and the Border Forces responsible for this, given that the area falls within the Border Forces sector.

He added that “the government was unaware at first, but later learned through the security services of the existence of a joint American-Israeli camp in the Western Desert.”

He considered that “the lack of an official clarification or denial from the government regarding the existence of the camp reinforces the information that has been circulating about it.”

Yesterday, the Joint Operations Command, through the head of the Security Media Cell, Lieutenant General Saad Maan, confirmed that no military forces or equipment were found during extensive search operations carried out by security forces in the deserts of Karbala and Najaf, following an incident that occurred on March 5, 2026, which witnessed a clash with unknown detachments that resulted in the death of one martyr and the injury of two security personnel.

This clarification comes at a time when Hebrew reports, including the website “G-Feed” and the “Jerusalem Post” newspaper, have addressed allegations regarding the existence of a secret military facility inside Iraq that is allegedly used in operations against Iran, with reference to American intervention to prevent Iraqi authorities from investigating the site.

According to those reports, sources spoke of an airstrip inside the bottom of a dry lakebed southwest of Najaf and Karbala, which was used for logistical and military purposes related to air operations. These are claims that have not been officially confirmed by Iraqi or American authorities.

Other Hebrew reports also contained conflicting accounts of military activities in Iraq during previous periods, while no official Iraqi or international bodies have confirmed this information.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that Israel had established a secret military site in the Iraqi desert to support its war against Iran on February 28, 2026, noting at the same time that Israel had launched raids on Iraqi forces that approached it at the time.

Shafaq.com

An Iraqi oil tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran.

Iranian media reported that the tanker “Aguis Phanourios 1,” carrying Iraqi oil, transited the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran, en route to Vietnam. The Fars News Agency stated: “The supertanker ‘Aguis Phanourios 1’ transited the Strait of Hormuz Sunday, after coordination with Iran, following the designated route.” It added that “the tanker, loaded with Iraqi crude oil, is currently in the Sea of ​​Oman, heading towards the port of Nghi Son in Vietnam.”

On May 5, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced that the only safe route for ships wishing to cross the Strait of Hormuz is the one previously designated by Tehran, noting that any diversion of travel to other routes would be met with a decisive response.

On April 7, US President Donald Trump announced the suspension of Operation Freedom, three days after it was launched with the aim of removing commercial ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz and securing their crews, after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard threatened to target any foreign armed force, especially the US military, if it tried to approach the Strait of Hormuz.

Burathanews.com